METAL PULP AND PAPER: Hello Steve. So glad to be catching up with you. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for Metal Pulp And Paper. We appreciate it.

How are you?

STEVE FRANCIS: I am great thanks, and cheers for getting in touch!

MPAP: There is quite a bit going on around the Bulletbelt camp, but before we get into that, let’s tell all the readers about your band if they haven’t heard about you yet first. Bulletbelt was formed in Wellington, New Zealand in 2009 by Ross Mallon on guitar and you on drums correct?

STEVE: Yes we started as a 2 piece in my lounge room playing 2nd wave BM. Ross lived in my area so I hit him up.

MPAP: What else do you want the readers and fans to know about your band Bulletbelt?

STEVE: Since 2009 Bulletbelt has been very active, releasing two (and the third album coming soon) albums, 2 EP’s, a split 7” and playing a lot of shows in New Zealand and Australia.

MPAP: Originally Metal Pulp And Paper had contacted you via messenger to find out if Jolene Tempest, the singer for Bulletbelt, was available for an interview, and due to details unknown by me, you said she was no longer with the band. So far, there really hasn’t been any announcement made on any social media yet? Do you care to make a statement here and shed some light on the details about the reason for Jolene’s sudden departure?

STEVE: Being in a band is a lot of hard work. Along the journey of Bulletbelt we’ve had members decide that it was their time to step off the train. Jolene decided her time was up. We highly value her input and contribution to the band. But the show goes on. We love what we do, and we have no plans in stopping. We made an announcement a while back. Of course, some people are upset about this. That is normal. I know when David Lee Roth left Van Halen I was bummed but I love Sammy Hagar’s era too!

MPAP: Of course, after finding out, all your fans will want to know who is going to replace her? This must be a very tough thing to do looking for someone to take over correct?

STEVE: We have auditioned a bunch of people, but we haven’t found that special person yet. There are a lot of boxes to tick. Not just vocals but attitude, reliability, team player, etc. We have some shows lined up with Sabbat (Japan), Venom Inc plus a few local shows. We have asked an old friend to step in and he is going to kill it. He’s from a legendary NZ band and we can’t wait to announce him.

MPAP: How soon until you can announce who will be taking over Jolene’s spot on the microphone for the band?

STEVE: Next week!

MPAP: Can you also tell us if you will you be staying with having another frontwoman for the band, or will you go back to having a male on vocals once again?

STEVE: Whoever ticks the boxes and blows us away. We aren’t settling for mediocrity. We want the best person available whether they have a dick or vagina!

MPAP: In other news, you have your 3rd full-length called Nine Centuries set to hit the streets and the media airwaves December 11, 2017? Nine Centuries is about The Burning Times and witch trials during the Dark Ages up to the nineteenth century. What else can you tell us about it? What can your die-hard fans, and even new fans expect?

STEVE: The pre-order for the album just went up today. It’s been pushed to a January 29th release date. It is a very dynamic album. The songs are at times more catchy and immediate and then in some cases much more epic and long than we’ve done before. We have guest vocals from Kam Lee (Massacre), a ripping guest solo from Vanik (Midnight) and a string section from the NZ Symphony Orchestra. I think people are going to dig it. I do so that’s a good start!

MPAP: With the Nine Centuries release coming out less than a month away, are you still going to release it with Jolene’s vocals, or are you going to push the release date back and re-record the vocals with possibly the new singer?

STEVE: Yes of course we will proudly release it with Jolene’s vocals. Her performance on this album is pretty special. We separate the personal stuff from the band stuff and focus on the good things.

MPAP: So, let’s talk about the song "Cloak The Night", which is the debut video and song from Nine Centuries. It is a very dark, morbid, and powerful video. The main character in the video played by Emmanuel Reynaud is someone you don’t want to run into at night in a dark alley? Or anywhere for that matter, right?

STEVE: Yes, I am very proud of that video clip. It captures the spirit of the song and album perfectly.

MPAP: After everyone reads this interview, they need to immediately go watch the "Cloak The Night" video, but can you tell us what the video is about to give them a little taste of what they can expect when they watch it?

STEVE: In Director Alek Sakowski’s words, "My goal was to create a renaissance style painting using surrealist symbols influenced by Beksiński and Jodorowsky. I wanted the images to be provocative, intimate and messy, using minimalist concepts." The videos main theme is about taking revenge on dogmatic institution. Especially that of the female figure who has been persecuted over the centuries. Whenever dealing with religious themes we cannot forget to identify that there is a dark side to their dogmas. There is always a balance between good and evil, and sometimes 'Evil' poses as good, tricking us all.

MPAP: The video is also age-restricted on YouTube. It’s something that’s not safe for viewing at work given with the nudity of Hannah Tasker-Poland’s character she plays? What was it like having Hannah in this video?

STEVE: She was a total pro as were the rest of the actors, crew and extras. We actually owe a big debt of gratitude to our friends from the Auckland Metal scene who gave up a day to come and get painted black and getting into the (evil) spirit!

MPAP: Aleksander Sakowski produced and directed the video, but who came up with the ideas of how and what the video was supposed to look like, and how the general theme was going to be?

STEVE: I approached Aleks with the general idea. I knew that we wanted to get as far away as possible from a ‘band performance’ clip for this song. He started the ball rolling on my initial concept and took it way further than I could have imagined. I have always been a big music video lover, so it was very exciting for myself to work with someone as talented as Aleks. We really let him take charge and push the concept as far out there as he could. It’s important when collaborating with other artists that you give them room to do their thing.

MPAP: What about some of the other songs on Nine Centuries? Can you tell us any of the other titles and what the songs are about?

STEVE: To quote Jolene, “This album is about the Burning Times, the witch hunts; Nine Centuries is about murder in the name of God, about the injustices of the past, the atrocities orchestrated by mass organised religion, and speaking the truth about an evil, horrific and vengeful time in our history.”

MPAP: Going back earlier, losing your singer must have felt like a punch in the gut, a rock thrown into the gears of your progress, especially so close to a new release? Honestly, how do you pick yourself up and brush off the dust?

STEVE: No we don’t think like that. Out of change comes new opportunities. We look forward to the future of the band and creating new music.

MPAP: Some might not know this, and it really hasn’t been talked about, but your band is no stranger to having a singer leave way before even Jolene left. This may still be hard to talk about, but Tim Parlane was Bulletbelt’s original lead singer during the years 2009-2010, and recorded The Black Army Stands single and EP with you. A year later, after confessing to killing BackyardBurial's lead singer, Matthew John Hall, Parlane was hit by a train near Kaiwharawhara, the seaside suburb of Wellington, in a possible suicide. This had to be something hard to deal with? What did you do to move on from that horrible tragedy?

STEVE: All I will say on the subject is that it was a terrible event and we were incredibly saddened by it all.

MPAP: Then in 2011, Fergus Nelson-Moores, would join Bulletbelt and record an EP, a live album, and your first full-length Down In The Cold Of The Grave, but he too would soon leave the band in 2013? At this point how did you feel?

STEVE: Of course, it is not ideal to lose your vocalist! But we are in this for the long haul. We lifted ourselves off the canvas, dusted ourselves and moved on. Heavy Metal isn’t for wimps or quitters!

MPAP: At any point did you ever feel like hanging up your drum sticks and say this isn’t worth it anymore, this band is taking a toll on me?

STEVE: NEVER! Some people don’t like change, I thrive on it. I get excited about the next phase of the band and where we can take it. This band is in my blood and I will keep moving forward.

MPAP: With Fergus’s exit, obviously, Jolene would soon enter the picture and record Bulletbelt’s highly acclaimed 2nd full-length Rise Of The Banshee. Even though the dust really hasn’t even settled yet, what is something you can look forward to after rising from the ashes again and moving forward?

STEVE: We have many goals to fulfill in the band. We are heading to Japan in 2018, and then would like to tour the US and Europe in the future. The music will continue to move forward and evolve.

MPAP: On behalf of myself and Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Steve, for being a part of this interview. We look forward to what Bulletbelt does in 2018 and beyond.

Before we bring this to a close, any last words you like to say to all the readers and your fans worldwide?